encounter

English Online Dictionary. What means encounter‎? What does encounter mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English encountren, from Anglo-Norman encountrer, Old French encontrer (“to confront”), from encontre (“against, counter to”), from Late Latin incontrā (“in front of”) itself from Latin in (“in”) + contrā (“against”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈkaʊntə/, /ɪŋˈkaʊntə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈkaʊntɚ/, /ɪŋˈkaʊntɚ/
• Rhymes: -aʊntə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: en‧coun‧ter

Verb

encounter (third-person singular simple present encounters, present participle encountering, simple past and past participle encountered)

1. (transitive) To meet (someone) or find (something), especially unexpectedly.

   Synonym: cross paths
2. (transitive) To confront (someone or something) face to face.
3. (transitive, intransitive) To engage in conflict, as with an enemy.
4. (transitive, India) To execute someone extrajudicially.

Alternative forms

• encountre, incountre, incounter (all obsolete)

Derived terms

• reencounter

Translations

Noun

encounter (plural encounters)

1. A meeting, especially one that is unplanned or unexpected.
2. A hostile, often violent meeting; a confrontation, skirmish, or clash, as between combatants.
3. (sports) A match between two opposing sides.
4. (sexuality) A sexual encounter; sexual activity, especially unplanned or unexpected, between people not in a sexual relationship, that usually does not lead to the establishment of a relationship, and may or may not happen again. A sexual encounter could be consensual or non-consensual; in the latter case, it is a sexual assault. A consensual sexual encounter that happens only once is commonly known as a one-night stand.
5. (sciences) The period of a space mission during which it carries out its data-gathering objectives.
6. (India) An extrajudicial killing or execution.

Synonyms

• (hostile meeting): clash, confrontation, brush, skirmish

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• encountre